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Hunter Baize joins Martin-McClure Racing for the 2017 K&N Pro Series East season

“It’s a learning curve, it really is,” Baize said. “I learned that first hand at Smyrna. We struggled at New Smyrna. We qualified like (14th) or something. We were running outside the top 10 before we got wrecked. It wasn’t a terrible performance before the accident there. But it was definitely not what we were accustomed to later on in the year.”

Baize put that first race behind him quickly. He rattled off 10 top-10 finishes in the remaining 13 races and won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Even though he didn’t win a race, an omission he plans on fixing in his second year in the K&N Pro Series East, he became one of the more consistent drivers in the series. But finding his groove took some time, especially switching from late models to the cars in the East Series.

“You’re going to get smacked in the face with the change of how things drive, how the series works at Smyrna,” Baize said. “It’s cool to have that learning experience over. We’ve been to a lot of these tracks now.”

Baize switched teams for the 2017 K&N Pro Series East season which, again, starts at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. He is driving for Martin-McClure Racing after spending his rookie season with HScott Motorsports. Baize said he believes he is building a winning program with Martin-McClure Racing.

“I really think we’ve built a program that can compete for the win at Smyrna and hopefully the championship,” the 19-year-old Baize said. “We’re really excited about everything that’s come together over the off-season. We’re looking forward to getting down there for sure.”

Hunter Baize will drive the No. 13 car for Martin-McClure Racing in the K&N Pro Series East

“This is a tremendous day for the entire Martin-McClure Racing organization. As Hal (Martin) and I set out nearly two years ago to lay the foundation for a thriving operation, I never imagined we would see success so quickly, nor experience some of the most rewarding days of my professional career in such a short period of time,” McClure said. “Bringing a driver of the caliber of Hunter Baize under our banner, following the talent we saw in our equipment last year, reinforces the attainability of the vision we have and is a testament to the efforts of personnel that share the same beliefs.

“In addition, the continuation of the Reynolds Wrap program is a great blessing for us. The national and regional brand partnership additions we have validate the successful positive return initiatives that we have in place both on and off the track.”

Baize had a successful rookie season. He had seven top-10 finishes in a row starting with a sixth-place finish at Virginia International Raceway and ending with a ninth-place finish at Watkins Glen International in New York. In between, he posted his best finish, a fifth place among K&N Pro Series East drivers at Iowa Speedway. The Iowa Speedway race consisted of drivers from the K&N Pro Series East and West. But he did not win a race in his rookie campaign.

“If I had my choice, I would have definitely taken a win,” Baize said. “The rookie of the year is no consolation prize. That was a very talented rookie class. We beat some very talented guys. Many of them went on to win races. We were solid. I felt the races we really had the speed we just had awful luck.”

Even though he had his best run near the end of the season, he said his best races, the places where he had the fastest cars, were at Bristol Motor Speedway and Stafford Motor Speedway. He blew two engines over the weekend at Bristol. At Stafford, he wrecked with 15 laps to go in the race. The Stafford race was in the middle of his seven straight top 10s.

Hunter Baize won the K&N Pro Series East Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 2016

With a year under his belt, and a new team, Baize said he is ready to not only contend for wins, but the K&N Pro Series East championship. He finished fourth in the K&N Pro Series East standings in 2016.

“I think we’ve built a team that can contend for wins anywhere we go and ultimately the championship,” Baize said. “I definitely hope to get in the win column this year ideally more than once and I want to be in the discussion come Dover to bring home the big cup this year.”

Baize said he is thankful for having the support of K&N in the Pro Series East.

“It’s absolutely instrumental,” Baize said. “It’s no secret this sport runs on partnerships like the ones K&N and NASCAR has built. We are extremely thankful they give us the opportunity to run in such a great and competitive series. I hope we represent them well. Definitely thankful to have them on board.”

Austin Andrella's Triumph took home the win for the Mod Retro class at the Cleveland IMS

Andrella of Austin Martin Originals has crafted some of the most unique and varied customs in the industry. His 1969 Triumph, Ole 69’er, garnered Andrella the top prize in the K&N-sponsored Modified Retro Class in the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Bike Show in Cleveland, Ohio. The win was one of two Andrella pocketed at the Ohio stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show.

The first build Andrella ever did took him five years to complete, and his meticulous workmanship continues on every build he starts.

Andrella takes a gunsmith's attention to detail into his bike-building

One look at the welds Andrella lays down is prime evidence of his craftsmanship. As to where he got that trait, Andrella points to his bloodline. “My grandpa’s a gunsmith and I get a lot of my attention to detail from him,” he says.

The Triumph Ole 69’er is built around a rigid tail, narrow springer frame. The frame rolls on black, spoked rims that wear classic whitewall rubber.

Andrella's welds are worth a closer look

A WWII ammo box keeps things sanitary by housing all of the bike’s electrical and wiring. The minimalist solo seat rests low, just above the elegant shorty rear fender. The tank is perfectly presented with retro chrome Triumph badges.

Austin Andrella is a part of a refreshing trend in bike building. He is a small, creative, independent builder who is not locked into a cookie-cutter style or blind loyalty to a brand. His builds span bikes from multiple continents and types. The Triumph Ole 69’er is evidence of his versatility.

K&N congratulates Andrella on his fantastic build and his impressive success at the Cleveland IMS.

Davi Haagsma ran a clean race on his muddy home track, capturing the win and the series points lead

K&N-sponsored Haagsma of H&M Motorsports decisively won the SxS Pro race on a rain-soaked and treacherously muddy southern California track. With the third-round win in Taft, Haagsma garnered the overall points lead in the SxS Pro series. Haagsma now possesses a 12 point series margin going into round 4.

The initial SxS race start in Taft was aborted due to a problem with the course markings on the Honolulu Hills track. However, Haagsma charged to the lead in the restart and refused to relinquish that position for the rest of the race. Nic Granlund finished second, and Larry Heidler rounded out the podium.

Haagsma's non-turbo SXS proved reliable in the Honolulu Hills Raceway mud

Interestingly, the turbos struggled in Taft. What Haagsma's naturally-aspirated SxS gave up in top-end horsepower was more than made up for in reliability. While several of his main turbocharged competitors dropped off with mechanical issues, Haagsma stayed fast, intact, and consistent throughout the race.

Despite his success in Taft in a non-turbo car, Haagsma is working on getting a turbocharged SxS ready for ensuing rounds. Dryer tracks later in the season will certainly require the higher turbo horsepower.

We will see what Haagsma runs in the next round at the always exciting and challenging course in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The WORCS 4th and 5th rounds are scheduled for March 17-19 at Crazy Horse.

Remaining WORCS SsS Schedule:

Rnd 4&5 Mar 17-19 Crazy Horse – Lake Havasu, Arizona

Rnd 6 Apr 1-2 The Orleans – Las Vegas, Nevada

Rnd 7 Apr 21-23 Sand Hollow – Hurricane, Utah

Rnd 8 May 19-21 Iron Mine – Cedar City, Utah

Rnd 9 June 16-18 Summer Festival – Stater Brothers Stadium – Adelanto, California

Rnd 10 Sept 8-10 Glen Helen – Devore, California

Rnd 11 Oct 6-8 TBA

Chase Elliott celebrates his win at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona Speedway

The first of the two qualifying races was a relatively easy one. Elliott led for the final 24 laps of the 60-lap race.

"I know it's just a Duel win and you obviously wish it was Sunday so it counts for the playoffs. But it still means a lot to me, means a lot to our team,” Elliott said after the race.

Elliott won the pole position for the Daytona 500 in qualifying. He will start the race on the front row after winning the first qualifying race.

“Oh, I think the biggest thing is, as everybody knows, it's not so much about where you start and more about where you finish,” Elliott said. “Daytona 500 pole day, as it should be, is more about the teams and what they bring over the off-season from the chassis shop to the 24 shop in particular, the body shop, our Hendrick department, Chevrolet. I think that's what Daytona 500 qualifying has always been about. I think that's where the attention should be, where it should be centered.”

Elliott led twice for 25 laps, the majority of them toward the end of the race. Brad Keselowski led for a race-high 28 laps, before a scheduled caution during the race. After the break in the race, Elliott took the lead. Keselowski came in fourth place and led three times.

Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski race at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona Speedway

“Tonight's result hasn't changed my opinion on that. I'm looking forward to it obviously. You love to get that qualifying spot on Sunday, but we really earned it tonight, to start on the front row, which is even better,” Elliott said regarding his pole win and starting position for the Daytona 500.

Jamie McMurray came in second place, moving into the runner-up position coming after a caution with eight laps to go in the race.

“I thought Chase did an awesome job. It doesn't matter who it is, at some point we all make a bad decision out there,” McMurray said on the driving of Elliott late in the race.

Kevin Harvick came in third place and did not lead during the race. The entirety of the race went smoothly, and ended up being an exciting one. Rainy weather has played a major role in the practicing and preparation of the racers at Daytona so far this season.

Corey Lajoie spun out Reed Sorenson to secure a spot in the Daytona 500. The crash eliminated Sorenson, who finished in last place. Sorenson did not qualify for the Daytona 500 due to results from the second Can-Am Duel race.

Denny Hamlin celebrates his win at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona

“Yeah, it was definitely a tough race for us. The reason it was so tough for us, a lot of guys were content to run in single file for most of the race,” Hamlin said. “We obviously were trying to buck that trend for most of the race by going to the bottom. We'd get hung out. I was just trying to make it interesting for the most part because I knew I wasn't going to get back up in line.”

Hamlin led twice for four laps of the 60-lap race. He got a huge boost in the second to last lap as he moved past race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin was asked after the race if he has any regrets about passing Earnhardt Jr. and winning the race.

Denny Hamlin reaches the checkered flag and wins the second Can-Am Duels at Daytona

Earnhardt Jr. led three times for a total of 53 laps before losing his lead and the win. The win would have been important for him because he has not raced for seven months. He finished in sixth place and will start on the front row for the upcoming Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr races past the green flag before losing his lead.

Clint Bowyer came in second place and did not lead during the race.

“That was my first crack at-bat,” Bowyer said. “We didn't have drafting practice or the Clash or anything. So there were some gremlins in there that I want to work on that will help me smooth in and be a little bit better in the 500, be a little bit more comfortable.”

Kurt Busch finished in third place. The second of the two races went smoothly. There were two caution periods, one a scheduled competition caution, for eight laps. Jimmie Johnson crashed into the turn 3 wall on lap 48.